Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks awaits a face-off against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on March 26, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

CHICAGO — Days after the NHL declined its option to re-open the current collective bargaining agreement, the NHL Players’ Association met in Chicago on Wednesday to plan their attack heading into the Sept. 15 deadline.

No decision was made. Not that anyone expected it.

According to union head Don Fehr, the coming deadline on whether to allow the current CBA to run its course for the next three years or strike a new deal before the 2020-21 season is not an actual deadline.

“We’re in a bargaining situation with what you might call a soft deadline,” Fehr said. “Nothing happens on the 16th of September if there’s a reopening made or something like that. You have to believe that discussions will proceed on the basis that both sides want a deal and, however difficult it is, you’re going to try to make one.”

The dealmakers look different this year: Less facial hair, more baseball caps.

This is not the same league that locked its doors for half the season in 2012-13. For one, it’s much younger. Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane might be still stars of the league, but they’ve got a lot of company in the form of Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and a slew of players who weren’t around seven years ago.

Of the 40 or so players who were in Chicago for the annual Players Media Tour, about half were 25 or younger.

That includes Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Andrei Vasilevskiy and many of the other players who have quickly asserted themselves as superstars. So you can bet that this time around, they will have a voice in regards to what matters to them.

“It was seven years ago. Guys turn over,” said Fehr, who doesn’t believe it will have a large impact. “Anytime you look at a group of professional athletes in a team sport, where some players are in the prime of their career and some guys are trying to make it on the bubble or just starting and other guys are near the end … they still have to play together and work together.”

According to Jonathan Toews and several other established players, escrow is a main contention with the current CBA. But Mark Scheifele, who was just a rookie when NHLers went to Sochi and then missed out on a chance to play in South Korea because the NHL skipped the tournament, has said Olympic participation is also a hot-button issue.

And with so many younger players wanting to get paid max dollars at an earlier stage of their careers, changing the language around RFA status could also become something that the next generation of players, which includes Mat Barzal, Thomas Chabot and Cale Makar, are interested in.

“I think the more experienced you get, the more you learn about it,” Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly, 25, said on Tuesday. “There’s guys who take a lot of curiosity with it and take it upon themselves to learn about it and that’s important. Players have to be informed. They want to be part of the process and as a group you have to be ready for it … we’re ready for it.”

KELLER BUCKS THE TREND

Finally, a restricted free agent has signed. Not that it was the one we had been expecting.

It wasn’t even a player who needed a contract.

With about a week to go until the start of free agency, Mitch Marner still remains without a contract. The same goes for Matthew Tkachuk, Brock Boeser, Mikko Rantanen and a logjam of other young players in what could be described as the ‘summer of the RFA.’

Perhaps that is why the Arizona Coyotes got a head start and re-signed Clayton Keller to an eight-year contract worth $57.2-million on Wednesday.

Technically, the deal didn’t have to get done until this time next year, when his entry-level contract expires. But after watching what happened to Toronto’s William Nylander last year — something that could be repeated this year — you can’t blame GM John Chayka for jumping the queue.

“The easy thing to do is follow the herd and be reactive. But we wanted to be proactive,” Chayka said in a conference call on Wednesday. “Following the herd makes sure you’re never No. 1.”

There is some risk in signing Keller now, considering he endured a bit of a sophomore slump last season, scoring only 14 goals and 47 points — down from the 23 goals and 65 points he scored as a rookie. But with Marner and others still unsigned, there’s also a bit of an advantage in that the market really hasn’t been set.

A year from now — heck, a week from now — this could look like a steal of a deal. That is, as long as 21-year-old, who was a seventh-overall pick, becomes the player that the Coyotes envision him becoming. And with Phil Kessel acquired in the summer to be Keller’s linemate, chances are he will be given every opportunity towards fulfilling that goal.

“There’s risks in any move you make and in this instance there’s risks in making this type of deal and there’s risks in waiting,” said Chayka. “It’s one where everyone looks at the deal today. The reality is there’s still a lot of RFAs unsigned. They’ll get re-signed.

“This will be a value deal for the Coyotes.”

KESSEL NOT A COACH KILLER

As for Kessel, don’t expect his history of clashing with coaches to continue in Arizona.

Rick Tocchet was his assistant coach in Pittsburgh. It was a relationship that Kessel said helped him become a better player and even led to off-ice friendship.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a little bit different. He’s the head coach now and I’m sure we’re going to get into a fight or two,” Kessel told the NHL Network. “But I’ve got to take it and just accept it, because it’s going to be a good message and the right message for me.”

STARS ALIGNED IN ATLANTIC

More and more, the NHL is becoming a star-driven league. And the biggest cluster of stars appears to be located in the Atlantic Division, where Tampa Bay has four players (Nikita Kucherov, Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos) ranked among the top 12 in the latest NHL20 videogame. Not to be outdone, Boston has four (Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask and David Pastrnak) in the top 25, while Toronto has five (Matthews, John Tavares, Marner, Rielly and Frederik Andersen) among the top 50. It’s also worth noting that Montreal’s Carey Price is the highest-ranked goalie and both Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky are ranked 11th.

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